(CNN) - President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki were upbeat in discussing the future of Iraq. I hope they are right but like so many U.S. officials and outside experts in both Washington and the region I am deeply worried about the future direction of that embattled country.

Item: The Iraqi government rejected U.S. requests to leave even a modest number of U.S. troops on the ground. That’s because Iran’s allies in the Iraqi government would have none of that.

soundoff(37 Responses)

Rudy NYC

If they are not worried, then why should the US be worried? Treat them as the untrustworthy ally that appear to be turning into. Personally, I see no reason why the US should continue to provide *free* military support and training, and paying for the rebuilding of their roads and schools. Let's go home. Make them pay us to come back.

December 12, 2011 03:57 pm at 3:57 pm |

Democrats answer to everything, TAX THE RICH, TAX BUSINESS

Make them pay us to come back.
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Hmmm... sounds like a war mongering liberal willing to turn our military into hired mercenaries. I guess you'll blame the return on George Bush too!!

December 12, 2011 04:02 pm at 4:02 pm |

Kris Craig

Saddam Hussein was an evil menace, but we kept him contained and he was never any threat to us. Now, after thousands of American lives and billions of dollars have been poured into this war, what do we have to show for it? An Iraq that will most likely ally itself with Iran. It's unfortunate that most Republicans still refuse to acknowledge that this invasion was a mistake that destabilized the region and put our own national security at greater risk.

Mission accomplished.

December 12, 2011 04:03 pm at 4:03 pm |

Rudy NYC

Democrats somebody wrote:
Hmmm... sounds like a war mongering liberal willing to turn our military into hired mercenaries. I guess you'll blame the return on George Bush too!!
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Nope. Try an angry independent who lost most of his life savings when the markets crashed in 2008.

Maybe Blitzer should worry about more important things, like how the 1% has bought off and corrupted our government and massively redistributed wealth upwards.

December 12, 2011 04:16 pm at 4:16 pm |

Rick McDaniel

We should NOT be concerned about Iraq. We should be concerned about Iran, and Pakistan.

December 12, 2011 04:20 pm at 4:20 pm |

Sniffit

"I see no reason why the US should continue to provide *free* military support and training, and paying for the rebuilding of their roads and schools."

Well, we did pretty much compeltely destroy large portions of their basic infrastructure in major population centers...water, electricity, transportation, schools, hospitals etc. You break it, you buy it. Problem is, historically, we go in, we break it and then we leave. Granted, I see no issue with getting the troops out of there and think the GOP/Teatrolls are just inventing nonsense to demagogue, but as for paying for the damage and destruction we caused, even if it's just in the form of aid? We fail on that score at our own peril.

December 12, 2011 04:21 pm at 4:21 pm |

Marcelo

Not much we can complain about Wolf; we did attack them on false evidence and we have to deal with the results of those actions. Positive or Negative – it is what it is.

December 12, 2011 04:23 pm at 4:23 pm |

Frank

Since we had no business being there in the first place (except for the strong smell of oil, Dick Cheney's favorite aftershave), have spent trillions of dollars and worse, lost lives and blood, let's get out and not look back. Of course they are ingrates, just ask the Pakistanis what they think of us!

December 12, 2011 04:29 pm at 4:29 pm |

The Publicans are Crazy

500 Billion Dollar Wars, I'm worried about foreclosure, jobs, lights, gas and Christmas. That could have paid for a jobs and stopping foreclosure program. I'm worried about Amerkia.

December 12, 2011 04:30 pm at 4:30 pm |

HunterPSU

Be honest. That is not why. It is because B.O. wanted out. he looked for any excuse to get out. He could have pressed the need harder but he had no political reason to do that. Stop pandering to the president by pretending we could not have stayed if we wanted to. Wolf you should be ashamed.

December 12, 2011 04:32 pm at 4:32 pm |

Democrats answer to everything, TAX THE RICH, TAX BUSINESS

Nope. Try an angry independent who lost most of his life savings when the markets crashed in 2008.
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Too bad... you need to pay more attention to your investments and learn how to pull the sell trigger. Too bad the government decided to fund the "Homes for Those that Can't Afford Them" program and the Democrats protected their darlings Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae from all the demands to stop them. Demolished the financial sector that everything relies on.

But I'm sure you did very well in the record period of growth during most of the Bush administration!

December 12, 2011 04:36 pm at 4:36 pm |

Pat Patterson

Bernnie Sanders comments todat are the comments of an IDIOT

December 12, 2011 04:38 pm at 4:38 pm |

Nick

Me too worried about the Good Old Usa.

December 12, 2011 04:38 pm at 4:38 pm |

jerry

a stable middle east is very important to the world economy...and we have no idea how this will all play out. We have a very unexperienced executive branch who is full of ideologue personalities with little to no experience in foreign or domestic affairs of state....so, we should be very concerned here. The middle east has been a very delicate balancing act for the past 60 or so years and no there is no balancing.

December 12, 2011 04:39 pm at 4:39 pm |

Marie MD

Where was Wolf when we invaded Iraq? Was he worried then and did he speak up against the lies of this totally unnecessary war that has costs thousand of lives and millions/trillions of dollars?
Something else to thank the village idiot from Texas for.

December 12, 2011 04:41 pm at 4:41 pm |

once upon a horse

sorry Wolf but we can not continue to be the world's police. The people in the Middle East have been fighting one another since the time of Christ and not much is going to change whether we are there or not and when it comes to American lives I prefer NOT.

December 12, 2011 04:46 pm at 4:46 pm |

Ed 1

If Obama stays another four years this is what you can expect socialism and look at the rest of the world and you will see it doesn't work.

Obama is selling out our Country.
European Tax Rates
The VAT tax in the table is the national sales tax that Europeans pay.
United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%

France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%

Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%

Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%

Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%

Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%

Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%

Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%

Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%

Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
If you've started to wonder what the real costs of socialism are going to be – once the full program in these United States hits your wallet, take a look at the table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that in spite of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its debt is so huge it is in imminent danger of defaulting. That is the reason the European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you're following the financial news, you know Spain and Portugal are right behind Greece .

The United States is now heading right down the same path. The VAT tax in the table is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is exactly what you can expect to see the administration proposing after the fall elections. The initial percentage in the United States isn't going to be anywhere near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe . Guess what. The current outrageous numbers in Europe didn't start out as outrageous either. They started out as minuscule – right around the 1% or 2% where they will start out in the United States . Magically, however, they ran up over the years to where they are now. Expect the same thing here.

It is the very notion that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get ahead economically here in the USA . Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between 60% and 80%? Think again. With the government taking that percentage of your money, your life will be exactly like life in Europe . . . You will never be able to buy a home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college. Let's not shuffle the battle cry of the socialists under the rug either. It's always the same cry. Equalize income. Spread the wealth to the poor (whoever they are). Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything will be rosy.

It's time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example. Despite the socialism system that has ruled this country for decades, with a 65% tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without hundreds of billions in bailout money from the EU, and still . . . 20% of their population lives in poverty. What has all that socialism money bought, besides ultimate power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are "free?" They're not. They are slaves to their economic "system."

Instead of spreading the wealth around, spread this info around.

December 12, 2011 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

Sniffit

"Too bad the government decided to fund the "Homes for Those that Can't Afford Them" program and the Democrats protected their darlings Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae from all the demands to stop them. Demolished the financial sector that everything relies on."

Said like a truly disturbed individual who tried listening when someone explained why Wall Street's gambling games were at fault, but then couldn't really understand or didn't want to because it was clearly leading to conclusive analysis pinning the problem on Wall Street, where you didn't want it. If you don't understand that what Wall Street did with mortgage backed securities, from overrating the securities and derivatives based thereon, to over-insuring them becuase companies like AIG were underwriting based on improper risk ratings, to proliferating varius forms of derivatives and hedge funds while investing, to investing in hedges while telling clients to invest in wha the company was heding against, to playing crazy games of hot potato called credit default swaps, etc....if you don't understand it, please don't just invent some other reason simple and cartoonish enough for you to grasp mentally just to fill that void of understanding.

December 12, 2011 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

Larry L

Bush and Cheney should be facing charges as war criminals for invading the only nation in the region NOT involved in 9/11. Still, they did create jobs... for Haliburton and for the folks who make prosthetic limbs and tombstones.

December 12, 2011 04:57 pm at 4:57 pm |

Democrats answer to everything, TAX THE RICH, TAX BUSINESS

If Obama stays another four years this is what you can expect socialism and look at the rest of the world and you will see it doesn't work.
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We'd already be there if the House wasn't ripped from their socialist hands in 2010. 2012 will see end of the Obama-Democrat Socialist Experiment.

December 12, 2011 05:06 pm at 5:06 pm |

fred ca

Larry L and the rest of you parrots... either learn to think or stay on the Fantasy Island network. Read, if you can, and learn...90 percent of security agencies and hillary and bill agreed with the stand on Iraq. Of course, that the #3 butt buddy of obl had lived in iraq for 3 years (in a police state) showed there was no connection.

December 12, 2011 05:13 pm at 5:13 pm |

Bledsoe

I'm not at all worried about Iraq because I know that Iraq will remain a satellite state of the U.S. for a very long time to come. For that reason, the Russians didn't have to worry about Poland, Czechoslakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and East Germany after WW2, either.